June 1

I am the LORD your God, who brought you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth, and I will fill it. — Ps 81:10 BSB

When the Lord gives your soul sweet access at the throne of grace, make the most of it. Imagine the captain of a ship coming up the river. If the wind is favorable and the tide is in his favor, but he doesn’t raise the anchor or only puts up part of the sail, failing to take full advantage of the wind and tide, what would we think of him? It’s the same with our souls. Sometimes a strong wind of grace blows upon us, and faith rises like the tide. Isn’t it our wisdom, and indeed our mercy, to take full advantage of such rare moments? If the Lord listens to us, shouldn’t we pour out all our heart’s desires before Him?

Remember the prophet’s words to the king who only struck his arrows on the ground three times and then stopped? The man of God was upset, saying, “You should have struck the ground five or six times! Then you would have completely defeated Aram. But now you’ll only win three times” (2 Kings 13:19). Sometimes we are like that. The Lord gives us some access to Himself, but we don’t make the most of it. Satan throws a fiery dart, a worldly distraction takes hold of our mind, or an impure thought rises up within us. Instead of resisting the devil and pressing on, we give in, and the moment passes. It might be months before we again have the Lord’s ear. So, when the wind of grace blows and faith’s tide rises, it’s wise and merciful to raise every sail and press forward as far as we can toward the harbor of eternal rest and joy.